Catering staff at the University of Chester have changed their recipes to ensure all their food is created with sustainable palm oil if required.

The University of Chester has been given Sustainable Palm Oil City Champion status by the zoo as part of its campaign to create a demand in the UK for sustainable palm oil.

And as a result, caterers at the university have been working closely with suppliers to ensure that every product sold across the institution’s catering outlets that contains palm oil comes from a sustainable source.

Read More

Over the past few decades, numerous species have been put at risk due to habitat loss and conversion of forests for unsustainable agricultural use in Borneo and Sumatra, which is why conservation efforts are vitally important to protect the islands’ biodiversity.

And as palm oil is highly profitable, as the most high yielding and versatile product on the market, demand for it is increasing.

Chester Zoo is working with a number of conservation organisations to engage with stakeholders across the globe, to find solutions to the conservation problem and promote the use of sustainable palm oil.

Last month the attraction banned all Nestlé products from its shelves after the chocolate company was suspended from the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) scheme, because it had failed to comply with RSPO rules.

Read More

It had received criticism for not submitting a report stating how it would ensure the use of certified sustainable palm oil, but since Nestlé made a 'renewed commitment' to achieving 100% RSPO certified sustainable palm oil and was fully reinstated as a member of the RSPO, the products are once again available in the zoo.

University workers including Ian White, domestic bursar from hospitality and residential services; senior catering operations manager Paula Martindale, head chef Les Barnes, and Tammy Hunt, sustainability officer, all worked together to make the changes.

When they went through all the food they buy, the group quickly discovered that palm oil was a hidden ingredient in many products and that external suppliers could not always trace its source, when asked.

UK and global experts are to unite in Westminster for the first time in a bid to tackle the issue of unsustainable palm oil production which is driving Sumatran orangutans towards extinction

The university, which has its own baker, has now changed all the recipes to make sure that everything is created with sustainable palm oil.

Ian said: “It was very difficult to trace the source of palm oil in pre-packaged foods. When we first talked to our suppliers, they were uncertain, but they have all now got involved and support it.

"They understand that if the university is going through this process, others will follow.”

Les added: “We found that it was in things that we never expected – like breaded chicken! We’ve now changed our supplier for that particular product.”

Read More

Other University of Chester Stories

And Tammy said: “It was natural for us to pursue this accreditation. We have our own Green Chester initiative and invited Chester Zoo to talk to staff and students about its palm oil project earlier this year.”

Cat Barton, field programmes manager at Chester Zoo, said: “To have the University of Chester as such a committed, enthusiastic member of the campaign to create the world’s first Sustainable Palm Oil City is a major step forwards in the fight to prevent extinction.

Unsustainable oil palm plantations are pushing wildlife to the brink, from tigers to orangutans, but this is a problem we can all help to solve. It is vital that we increase awareness and demand for sustainable palm oil - and Chester is leading the way.”